Annual Activity Report - Institute for Transportation Research and ...

Annual Activity Report 

December 2012 

Institute for Transportation Research and Education 

909 Capability Drive, Suite 3600 

Raleigh, NC 27606 

Phone 919-515-8899 

http://www.itre.ncsu.edu 

December 2012 ITRE Annual Activity Report Page 1

Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) 

at NC State University 

Nagui M. Rouphail, Ph.D., Director 


Campus Box 8601, Raleigh, NC 27695 

919.515.8899 - (fax) 919.515.8898 

www.itre.ncsu.edu 


Table of Contents 

Center Description and Goals ................................................................................................................... 5 

Summary of Finances ........................................................................................................................... 7-9 

Summary of Project Activities ................................................................................................................. 10 

National and International Research and Development ............................................................................ 10 

State of North Carolina and Local Research and Development ................................................................... 11 

Active Pass-through Projects to Other Universities ................................................................................. 12 

Additional Projects ......................................................................................................................... 13 

Staff Honors and Recognitions ................................................................................................................. 13 

State and National Committee and Panel Participation ....................................................................... 13-15 

Annual Transportation Research Board Presentations ......................................................................... 16-17 

Conference and Workshop Attendance, Participation, and Exhibits (by program or group) .......................... 18-21 

Published Refereed Journal Papers ............................................................................................... 21-23 

Other Publications and Reports ......................................................................................................... 23 

Student Support ................................................................................................................................... 24 

Marketing/Public Relations ..................................................................................................................... 29 

ITRE Staff Participation in Community Service ............................................................................................. 34 

ITRE Hosted Websites ............................................................................................................................ 35 

Exhibits 

I ITRE Senior-Level Organization Flow Chart: Primary Program Groups ........................................................... 6 

II ITRE Council Organization Flow Chart .................................................................................................. 6 

III Expenditures by Funding Source, FY 11/12 ............................................................................................ 7 

IV Expenditure Allocations by Program Area .............................................................................................. 7 

V Expenditures by Program Area and Funding Source ................................................................................. 8 

VI Tracked Expenditures in a Five-Year Period .......................................................................................... 8 

VII Tracked Expenditures/State Appropriated Funds .................................................................................... 9 

VIII Tracked Facilities and Administration Generation ................................................................................... 9 

IX Continuing Education Activities .................................................................................................... 25-28 

Appendix I: Summary of Program Groups ............................................................................................. 30-33 


Message from the Director 

Yet another year has passed us by! To our friends and partners, it is my pleasure to 

submit the 2012 edition of the ITRE Annual Activity Report. In retrospect this has 

been a good year for us as we continue to rebound from the effects of the recession 

that has slowed our pace a bit in the past few years. This also has been a bittersweet 

year where we had two senior level retirements in our ranks. 

Bob Foyle, a longtime staple of ITRE’s presence in North Carolina for over thirty 

years, and ITRE’s Associate Director for the last twelve years, retired on July 1, 2012 

to focus on his family business and other interests. Personally I miss Bob’s many 

contributions to the Institute as well as his unmatched insight and advice on many of 

the issues that face us. Replacing Bob in his new position is another veteran of ITRE, 

Mr. James Martin. James has also been around at ITRE for as long as Bob has, and a 

person whose judgment, experience and management skills I highly value. James has 

been of tremendous help during this transition time. 

Dr. Ron Hughes, Director of our VAMS program, and our strategic thinker on all things 

commercial vehicles and enforcement also retired on the same day as Bob. His 

contributions to elevating this program in his seven years at ITRE are very much 

appreciated and recognized. On the positive side of the ledger, this year we also 

welcomed Mr. Kyle Snyder, our first permanent Director of the Next Generation Air 

Transportation (NGAT) in Planning Center. Kyle specializes in the Unmanned Aerial 

Vehicles (UAV’s) field, and we look for him to establish and grow this unique field 

here at ITRE. There has also been some internal reorganization within ITRE to 

accommodate retirements and new hiring. 

This has been a good year for us as we 

continue to rebound from the effects 

of the recession . . . 

In other notable news this year, ITRE has acquired new physical space in our current 

building to accommodate the growth in our programs and personnel! This space 

amounts to 2,714 square feet of office and conference space that are adjacent to our 

current space. So when the space became available towards the end of the year, we 

could not pass up the opportunity. At this time, the new space is housing NGAT staff 

and our newly formed Travel Behavior Modeling group. 

Financially, we continue to be on a good footing. Our overall research expenditures 

have rebounded considerably, up 17.8% from last year, to levels not seen in five or 

more years. Our federal grant and contract support also continues to improve, 

accounting for 19% of overall expenditures compared to 12% last year. Both these 

actions have contributed to an overall increase in overhead generated for NC State 

and ITRE to over $1 million this year, a 15% increase over last year. Our national 

visibility is also on the rise, evident by the many national and international 

presentations and publications our technical staff has been involved in, including a 

very significant presence at the TRB annual meetings. On the education front, our 

training programs have also seen a significant rise in participation compared to last 

year by about 22%. This improvement includes both in-person and online training. 

And we have yet again established another milestone in graduate student support, 

with over 30 graduate students involved in our research and technical assistance 

projects. 

A final word of thanks to our administrative staff whose daily support of all our 

technical activities proceeds without much thanks or fanfare. They are the glue that 

have kept our programs running, in compliance, on schedule and on budget. On 

behalf of all of us at ITRE, a sincere thank you. 

Nagui Rouphail, PhD 


Annual Activity Report - 2012 

Institute for Transportation Research 

and Education (ITRE) 

at NC State University Centennial Campus 

This report summarizes ITRE’s activities for the year 2012 and provides 

background information on the Institute’s history, mission, goals, and 

objectives. It also provides an overview of ITRE’s finances, personnel, and 

technical activities during the year. As in years past, the Institute has 

maintained and in some instances expanded its programmatic activities. 

ITRE is housed in the Research IV Building 

on NCSU’s Centennial Campus. 

ITRE is an inter-institutional center 

within the 

University of North Carolina system 

Center Description 

The Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) is an Inter- 

Institutional Center of the University of North Carolina system. Chartered by 

the North Carolina General Assembly in 1978, ITRE carries out research, 

training, and technical support activities in surface and most recently air 

transportation for a host of national, state, and local clients to address the 

nation’s critical transportation issues. ITRE is committed to leadership in the 

study of transportation issues through fostering analytical thinking, 

integrating technology in education and research, serving as a catalyst for 

problem solving, and cultivating professionals and students dedicated to 

excellence in transportation. 

Due to the retirement of Mr. Bob Foyle, ITRE associate director and director 

of the Highway Systems Group, as well as Dr. Ron Hughes, VAMS director, 

and the hiring of a permanent Next Generation Air Transportation director, 

some internal reorganization within ITRE took place in 2012. We are now 

reorganized into seven programmatic areas namely 1) CTE/STRIDE the latter 

being the new southeast regional center in which ITRE is now a member, 2) 

Highway Systems, 3) Next Generation Air Transportation (NGAT), 4) Travel 

Behavior Modeling (now as a separate program outside of Highway Systems), 

5) Pupil Transportation Group, 6) Geovisual Analytics and Decision 

Management Group (GADA) and 7) Public Transportation. A high-level 

organizational chart of our new structure is depicted in Exhibit I. As always 

our programs are guided and monitored by our ITRE Advisory Council, whose 

membership is shown in Exhibit II. 

Summary of ITRE Goals 

ITRE’s strategic plan, developed in 2002, has set forth five major institutewide 

goals: 

Increase national visibility 

Conduct and disseminate research that impacts the transportation 

community 

Sustain and enhance educational opportunities to improve the 

knowledge and skills of transportation professionals 

Strengthen the relationship with, and gain recognition within, the 

University system 

Provide superior technical assistance 

These goals are currently being achieved through various objectives, such as 

increasing national exposure through conference presentations, publishing 

research, outreach efforts, and increased national project awards. 

Additionally, the Institute continues its training efforts on a national, 

regional, and state level, while promoting collaboration with faculty in the 

department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North 

Carolina State University and at other UNC system institutions. 

This report provides a glimpse of this year’s activities and accomplishments 

in reaching these goals and objectives. More information about ITRE’s 

programs and staff are available through ITRE’s website: 

http://www.itre.ncsu.edu 


Exhibit I 

ITRE High-Level Organization Flow Chart: 

Primary Program Groups 

Exhibit II 

2012 ITRE Advisory Council 

Dr. Nagui M. Rouphail 

Director 

and 

Professor of Civil Engineering 

Mr. Jim Westmoreland 

ITRE Council Chair, 

City of Greensboro 

Mr. James B. Martin 

Associate Director 


Director, Highway Systems 

Ms. Stephanie Ayers 

North Carolina Ports Authority 

Mr. Robert M. Clarke 

Robert M. Clarke Consulting 

Dr. Edd Hauser 

UNC-Charlotte Center for 

Transportation Policy Studies 

Mr. David King 

Triangle Transit Authority 

Ms. Linda S. Lancaster 

Director, Finance 

and Contracts 

Mr. Jeffrey C. Tsai 

Director, Pupil Transportation 

Dr. Eugene Conti, Jr. 

NC Department of Transportation 

Dr. George List 

NCSU Department of Civil, 

Construction and 

Environmental Engineering 

Dr. E. Downey Brill 

Director, Center for 

Transportation and the 

Environment (CTE)/STRIDE 

Ms. Debra G. Collins 

Mr. Thomas J. Cook 

Co-Directors, 

Public Transportation 

Dr. Kathryn Dobie 

NC A&T State University 

Mr. Mark Dunzo 

Kimley-Horn and Assoc., Inc. 

Ms. Catherine McGhee 

Virginia Transportation 

Research Council 

Mr. James B. Martin 

Director, North Carolina 

Local Technical Assistance 

Program (NC LTAP) 

Mr. Joseph Huegy 

Director, Travel Behavior 

Modeling Group 

Ms. Carolyn Flowers 

Charlotte Area Transit System 

Mr. John F. Sullivan, III 

Federal Highway Administration 

NC Division 

Mr. Kyle Snyder 

Director, NextGen Air 

Transportation (NGAT) Center 

Mr. Jeffrey C. Tsai 

Director, Geovisual Analytics 

and Decision Management 

Group (GADA) 

Dr. Larry Goode 

Transportation Consultant 

Dr. David Harkey 

UNC Highway Safety 

Research Center 

Dr. C. Michael Walton 

University of Texas—Austin 

Mr. Robert R. Wimmer 

Toyota Motors North America 


Summary of ITRE’s Finances 

Exhibit III shows the most recent Fiscal Year, July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012, for which complete financial information is 

available. Expenditures are broken down by the funding source. 

Overall, about 6% of all 2012 ITRE expenditures represent 

State Appropriated Funds related to administration, with 

additional operations support of 4% coming from Indirect 

Cost Return. The support from State Appropriations 

decreased by 1% from FY 10/11. 

State of North Carolina and Federal Contracts total 74% 

of all activity. Those figures have increased 9% compared 

to 65% for the FY 10/11. 

Sales and Service activity (11%) is derived mainly from 

registration fees for workshops. The Institute no longer 

has Pass-through projects to other departments at NCSU 

and other UNC universities. NCDOT now has master 

agreements with all NC universities individually. 

Other Contracts (5%) include project activity primarily 

for municipalities and may include funding from other 

states. Their share has not changed from the 

previous fiscal year. 

Exhibit III 

Expenditures by Funding Source FY 11-12 

Exhibit IV shows how ITRE’s FY11/12 expenditures are allocated by program area. As has been the norm in the past few years, the 

Highway Systems group is our largest generator of expenditures, accounting for nearly one third of all ITRE expenditures. 

This is followed closely by CTE (at 20%) and Public Transportation (at 12%) groups. Other groups and administration contribute at 

various rates. The “Institute” expenditures include state appropriations, facilities and administrative receipts, professional 

development and other accounts managed by the Institute as a whole. 

Exhibit IV 

Expenditure Allocations by Program Area 


Exhibit V shows the distribution of expenditure sources by program area. This chart serves to highlight where each group expends its 

primary funds. We have categorized those funds as State, Federal, and Other. 

This last category includes expenditures from contracts we have with other states, not-for-profit organizations, the private sector and 

course registrations. It also highlights the fact that ITRE is still predominantly funded from NC state and local funds, although there 

are some variations across program areas. 

Exhibit V 

Expenditures by Program Area and Funding Source 

Exhibit VI tracks ITRE’s annual expenditures over the past five years. We no longer report both our in house and pass through funds as 

this is no longer a valid accounting concept for the Institute. NCDOT has issued master agreements with each campus therefore ITRE 

no longer acts as the mechanism for handling pass through funds. 

ITRE’s total expenditures have increased in FY11/12 compared to the previous cycle which is due to an increase in the number and 

value of proposals which have been awarded to the institute this year. In a review of all ITRE projects, the increase is 17.8%, or over 

$1 million. 

Exhibit VI 

Tracked Expenditures in a Five-Year Period 

Total Expenditures 


Exhibit VII summarizes ITRE’s productivity trends over the past five years. The top line represents the ratio of total annual 

expenditures divided by ITRE’s state appropriation. Total annual expenditures are utilized when calculating the ratio; basically 

reflecting the value of our research activities. The ratio continues to be well above the indicated 4.0 minimum threshold cited in the 

UNC Office of the President Report (lower line). 

ITRE continues to be a valuable and cost effective asset to the state of North Carolina with a productivity ratio 15:1. 

Exhibit VII 

Tracked Expenditures/State Appropriated Funds 

Exhibit VIII shows that ITRE continues to generate Facilities and Administrative (F&A) funds for our operations, as well as for the 

University. In the last fiscal year we generated over $1,000,000 of F&A dollars from our local, state, and federal projects, an increase 

of 15.5% over the previous FY. This is due to a higher submittal and success rate of federally sponsored projects at the full overhead 

rate. 

In the past between 33-35% of the F&A funds were returned to operate the institute and provide incentives for improving our national 

visibility, but now about 25% is being returned due to a new allocation formula. 

Exhibit VIII 

Tracked Facilities & Administration Generation in a Six Year Period 


Summary of Project Activities 

The following list summarizes ITRE’s research and education projects at the 

national, state and local levels for FY 11/12. 

National and International Research and Development 

National research efforts at ITRE continue to be quite significant in terms of 

numbers and funding levels. 

ACRP 11-05 

Sponsor: Project Performance Corporation/TRB (J. Martin) 

An Open Source Traffic Assignment Tool for Assessing the Effects of 

Roadway Pricing and Crash Reduction Strategies on Recurring and 

Non-Recurring Congestion, 2011-2013 

Sponsor: Kittleson & Associates, Inc. and FHWA (N. Rouphail) 

Blind Pedestrians' Access to Complex Intersections, 2007-2013 

Sponsor: Western Michigan University and NIH (N. Rouphail) 

Center for Transportation and the Environment Tier II UTC, 2005-2013 

Sponsor: US Department of Transportation (J. Martin) 

Development and Evaluation of Methodological Framework for 

Real-World Vehicle Energy Use and Emissions Estimation at Multiple 

Temporal and Vehicular Scales, 2008-2012 

Sponsor: National Science Foundation (C. Frey/N. Rouphail) 

Dissemination of ACRP Research Results: Value and Utility Assessment 

Sponsor: Project Performance Corporation/NAS (J. Martin) 

Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship for Zachary Bugg, 2011-2012 

Sponsor: Federal Highway Administration (N. Rouphail) 

EN1009 Context Sensitive Solutions- National Dialog 2 Support 

Sponsor: Project Performance Corporation/FHWA (J. Martin) 

Establishing Monitoring Programs for Travel Time Reliability, 2009-2012 

Sponsor; National Academy of Science, SHRP-2, L02 

(G. List/B. Williams/N. Rouphail) 

FHWA Co-Sponsorship of the 2011 International Conference on 

Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) 

Sponsor: Federal Highway Administration (J. Martin) 

Field Evaluation of Double Crossover Diamond Interchanges, 2010-2014 

Sponsor: US Department of Transportation, FHWA 

(J. Hummer/B. Schroeder/C. Cunningham/D. Findley) 

Framework for Mobile Source Emission Inventories, 2010-2013 

Sponsor: US Environmental Protection Agency (N. Rouphail/C. Frey) 

ICOET 2011 Conference Sponsorship: USDA Forest Service, 2008-2013 

Sponsor: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (J. Martin/E. Murray) 

Incorporation of Travel Time Reliability into the Highway Capacity 

Manual, 2011-2013 

Sponsor: Kittleson & Associates, Inc. & SHRP-2 L08 (N. Rouphail/B Schroeder) 

Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (J. Martin) 

Methods for Gauging Livability Improvements, 2011-2012 

Sponsor: Louis Berger Group/FHWA (L. Lane) 

ITRE’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program was tasked by the 

Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, North 

Carolina Department of Transportation to gather statewide 

public input and conduct a series of regional roundtable 

discussions. The results of these public involvement 

processes were a series of strategies and actions that 

address bicycle and pedestrian safety. The full report can 

be viewed on the NCDOT website at the link below. 

http://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/researchreports/default.html 

NCFRP 41, Incorporating Truck Analysis into the Highway Capacity Manual 

Sponsor: Dowling & Associates, Inc./TRB (G. List/N. Rouphail/B. Schroeder) 

NCHRP 20-63B, Performance Measurement Tool Box and Reporting System 

for Research Programs and Projects 

Sponsor: ICF International/NAS (R. Foyle) 

NCHRP 25-25 Task 69 Defining Community Context in Transportation Project 

Planning and Development Process 

Sponsor: Louis Berger Group, Inc./NAS (L. Lane) 


NCHRP 25-36 Impacts of Land Use Strategies on Travel Behavior in Small 

Communities and Rural Areas 

Sponsor: University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill (J. Huegy) 

NCHRP 3-96 Analysis of Managed Lanes for Freeway Facilities, 2009-2012 

Sponsor: University of Washington and NCHRP 3-98 (N. Rouphail) 

NCHRP 3-98 Guidelines on the Use of Auxiliary Through Lanes at Signalized 

Intersections, 2010-2012 

Sponsor: Kittelson & Associates, Inc. (N. Rouphail) 

NCHRP 3-100: Evaluating the Performance of Corridors with Roundabouts, 

2011-2013 

Sponsor: Kittelson & Associates, Inc. and NCHRP 3-100 (B. Schroeder) 

TOPR No. 34 Accelerating Roundabout Implementation in the US 

Sponsor: Virginia Tech Transportation Institute/FHWA (B. Schroeder) 

Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) is installed and 

evaluated on its ability to provide more yielding 

opportunities for pedestrians to cross as part of TOPR No. 

34 project. 

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Program focuses on improving 

the walk‐ and bike‐ability of communities through 

planning assistance, dissemination of current best 

practices in facilities design, and training. Through 

contracts with the NC Department of Transportation’s 

Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation (DBPT), 

local government agencies benefit from these studies. The 

Program also provides direct support to DBPT for 

research; recommendations; policies and procedures 

manuals; safety education materials and curricula; 

training initiatives; and grants administration. 

State of North Carolina and Local Research 

and Development 

ITRE administered ongoing, statewide projects mostly in conjunction with 

the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and local municipalities. See 

the pages that follow for additional project categories. 

Analysis of Truck Load Weight Distribution in North Carolina 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (R. Hughes) 

Comparison of Data Collection Vehicles to Human Collection Methods 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation 

(C. Cunningham/J. Hummer) 

Conduct NCDOT Roadway Reviews 


Development and Packaging of Statewide Curriculum Materials for the Safe 

Routes to School Program 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (S. O’Brien) 

Development of Real Time Performance Measurement for Closed Loop Signal 

Systems Using Existing Loop Detectors, HWY2011-12 


(N. Rouphail/B. Schroeder) 

Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) 2008-2013 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources 

(J. Martin) 

Facilitation and Documentation Services for DMV Licensing Demonstration 

Grant 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (A. Hartell) 

Facilitation and Documentation Services for DMV License Security Grant 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (A. Hartell) 

High Speed Rail Technical Assistance 


Infrastructure Investment Protection with High Density Surveys (HDS) 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (D. Findley) 

Land Use Forecasting Models for Small Areas in North Carolina 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (J. Huegy) 

Linking Carrier Descriptive Attributes to Crash Patterns: 

An Untapped Tool in State Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Programs 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (R. Hughes) 

MCSAP Program Support 

Sponsor: North Carolina Crime Control (R. Hughes) 

Migration of NCSHP GIS Decision Support from Motor Carrier Enforcement 

to Traditional Enforcement 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (G. Ferrara) 

Mobility and Reliability Performance Measurement, HWY2011-07 


(N. Rouphail/B. Williams) 


NCDOT Maintenance Technical Assistance Program 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (T. Baughman) 

NCLOS Program 2010 Update 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (R. Foyle) 

NGAT Center Technical Assistance to the NCDOT Division of Aviation 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (R. Foyle/D. Findley) 

Pedestrian and Bicycle Accommodations on Superstreets 


(R. Foyle/C. Cunningham/S. O’Brien/J. Hummer) 

Professional Enhancement Program 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (D. Findley) 

Proof of Concept for Map Enabling the HSRC Crash Query Tool 

Sponsor: North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program (G. Ferrara) 

Rail Intern Program FY 2011-2012 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (T. Cook) 

Research Administration Facilitation in Transition and Technical Assistance 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (R. Foyle) 

Seven Portal Study, FY 2010-2011 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (G. List/R. Foyle) 

Teach Fundamental Engineering Principles (FEP) Program 


(C. Cunningham/T. Brown) 

Technical and Technology Assistance, Implementation and Research 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (D. Collins) 

Technical Assistance Developing and Implementing NCDOT’s 

Sustainability Blueprint 


Technical Assistance to the State Board of Education in the 

Support of the Transportation Management System 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (J. Tsai) 

Technical Support of NCSHP Motor Carrier Enforcement Size 

and Weight Enforcement Program 

Sponsor: North Carolina Crime Control (R. Hughes) 

Technical Support Services for the NCDOT Division of Bicycle and 

Pedestrian Transportation 


Technical Support for the Safe Routes to School Program 


Triangle Regional Model Service Bureau at ITRE 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (J. Huegy) 

ITRE staff have been busy evaluating the operational and 

safety performance of Double‐Crossover‐Diamond (DCD) 

interchanges in collaboration with civil engineering at NCSU 

as part of a FHWA project. 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Development Initiative 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (N. Rouphail) 

Work Zone Traffic Analysis & Impact Assessment 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Transportation (B. Schroeder) 

Active Pass-through Projects to Other Universities 

Monitoring, Prioritization, and Assessment of Ocean Outfalls of 

Stormwater in Dare Co., North Carolina 

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources 

(UNC Chapel Hill, R. Noble) (R. Foyle) 

Performance Improvement from Deep Layers of Subgrade Stabilization 


(UNC-Charlotte, Ogunro) (L. Lancaster) 

On 19 July 2012, the NextGen Air Transportation (NGAT) 

Center at ITRE hosted the first North Carolina Unmanned 

Aircraft Systems (UAS) Forum at the NC National Guard 

Headquarters in Raleigh. In collaboration with the NCDOT 

Aviation Division, the NC Military Foundation, and the NC 

Department of Commerce, the NGAT Center provided an 

opportunity for organizations across the state to discuss 

their interest in the emerging UAS aviation market. 


The ITRE Council Meeting was held on April 12, 2012. It 

began with highlights of the 2011 Annual Report and an 

ITRE reorganization discussion presented by ITRE director 

Nagui Rouphail. The upcoming retirements of Bob Foyle, 

ITRE associate director, and Ron Hughes, VAMS director, 

were acknowledged with appreciation certificates. (l to r) 

Jim Westmoreland, ITRE Advisory Council chair, with Ron 

Hughes and Bob Foyle. 

Additional Projects 

All-Weather Paint for Work Zones Field Evaluation in North Carolina 

Sponsor: 3M Company (C. Cunningham) 

Complete Streets Guidelines and Training 

Sponsor: PB Americas, Inc. (J. Martin) 

Municipal Technical Services 

Sponsor: Various cities and counties (J. Oklevitch) 

NC State Highway Patrol Communication Centers 

Sponsor: ESP Associates (G. Ferrara) 

Operations Research and Education Lab (OREd) Program 

Sponsor: Various counties and school districts (M. Miller/J. Tsai) 

Policy/Procedure Guidebook and Information Technology Assessment Project 

for Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization 

Sponsor: City of Raleigh/CAMPO (T. Cook) 

Road Commission for Oakland County HAWK and RRFB Study 

Sponsor: Western Michigan University /Road Commission for Oakland County 

(B. Schroeder/C. Cunningham) 

Surveys to Generate Data for Updated Rail Ridership Estimates 

Sponsor: AECOM (T. Cook) 

Triangle Regional Model Scope of Work for Model Development (DCHC-MPO) 

Sponsor: City of Durham (J. Huegy) 

Triangle Regional Model Service Bureau at ITRE (CAMPO) 

Sponsor: City of Raleigh (J. Huegy) 

Triangle Regional Model Service Bureau at ITRE (Triangle Transit) 

Sponsor: Triangle Transit (J. Huegy) 

Staff Honors and Recognitions in 2012 

State and National Committee and Panel Participation 

James B. Martin has been 

named associate director of 

ITRE. Martin replaces Bob 

Foyle who retired at the end 

of June. 

Kyle Snyder has been 

hired as the first 

permanent director of 

the NGAT Center. 

Snyder’s position is 

initially being supported 

through a grant from the 

NCDOT Division of 

Aviation (DOA). 

TRB Committees 

ABG20: Transportation Education and Training (D. Findley, friend) 

ABG50: History (D. Findley, member) 

ABG50: History Communication Coordinator (D. Findley) 

ABJ40: Travel Survey Methods (J. Huegy, friend) 

ADB40: Transportation Demand Forecasting (J. Huegy, friend) 

ADC10: Environmental Analysis in Transportation (D. Brill, member) 

ADC30: Ecology and Transportation (J. Martin, member, D. Brill, friend) 

AFB10: Geometric Design (D. Findley, friend) 

AFB20: Roadside Safety Design (D. Findley, friend) 

AFB30: Low-Volume Roads (D. Findley, friend) 

ADC30: Ecology and Transportation (J. Martin, member) 

AHB25: Signal Systems (C. Cunningham, friend) 

AHB40: Highway Capacity and Quality of Service (B. Schroeder, member) 

AHB55: Work Zone Traffic Control (T. Baughman, member) 

AHB65: Operational Effects of Geometrics (A. Holsem, friend, 

D. Findley, C. Cunningham, friend) 

AHB70: Access Management (C. Cunningham, member) 

AHD15: Maintenance Operation Personnel (J. Martin, member) 


ANB40: Traffic Law Enforcement (C. Cunningham, member) 

ANB75: Roundabout (B. Schroeder, member) 

ANF10: Pedestrian (S. O’Brien, friend) 

ANF20: Bicycle Transportation (S. O’Brien, member) 

APO55: Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation (T. Cook, member) 

APO60: Paratransit (K. Monast, member, T. Cook, friend) 

APO85: Ferry (J. Tsai, member, T. Cook, friend) 

ARO20: Passenger Rail Equipment and Systems Integration 

(D. Robinson, friend) 

TRB Subcommittees 

Access Management Research (C. Cunningham) 

ABJ40(1): Household Travel Surveys (J. Huegy, member) 

ABJ40(2): Freight Surveys (J. Huegy, member) 

ABJ40(3): Stated Response Surveys (J. Huegy, member) 

ABJ40(4): New Technologies (J. Huegy, member) 

Joint ADA10 and ADB40: Integrated Transportation and Land Use 

Modeling (J. Huegy, member) 

AHB40: Freeways (N. Rouphail, member) 

AHB40: Research (B. Schroeder, secretary) 

AHB40: Traffic Simulation Applications (B. Schroeder, member) 

AHB40: Freeway and Multilane Highways (B. Schroeder, member) 

ANB10(6): School Transportation (J. Tsai, member, S. O’Brien, friend) 

ANF20(6): Joint Subcommittee on Pedestrian and Bicycle University 

Education (S. O’Brien, friend) 

Health and Transportation Joint Subcommittee (S. O’Brien, friend) 

Two ITRE graduate students were recently named the 

Outstanding Students of the Year for their respective 

University Transportation Centers (UTCs). Katy Salamati 

was honored as the outstanding student for the Center for 

Transportation and the Environment (CTE), and Zachary 

Bugg was named the outstanding student for the 

Southeastern Transportation Center, a regional UTC that 

includes NC State University, the University of Florida, 

Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Kentucky, 

UNC‐Chapel Hill, NCA&T State University, the University of 

South Florida, the University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt 

University. 

TRB Task Forces and Panel Participation 

Communication Coordinator Council (D. Findley) 

NCHRP 01-17: Pedestrian and Bicycle Transpiration Along Existing Roads 

(S. O’Brien, panel member) 

NCHRP 15-49: Geometric Design Guidelines for Managed Lanes 

(C. Cunningham) 

TCRP G-13: A Transit Manager's Guide to Using ITS Data to Work Smarter 

and Cheaper: Developing Content for the APTA Tech Portal 

(D. Collins, panel member) 

Special Awards 

Best paper award, TRB Committee AHB40: Highway Capacity and Quality 

of Service, Implementing Auxiliary Through Lanes (ATLs) in a Highway 

Capacity Analysis Context, Zachary Bugg, Nagui Rouphail, 

Bastian Schroeder, Brandon Nevers 

Co-Authors Bastian Schroeder and Nagui Rouphail of the ITE 2012 Daniel B. 

Fambro Student Paper Award: An Analytical Framework for Managed Lane 

Facility Performance Evaluation, ITE Journal, October 2012, pp. 30-36, 

Xiaoyue (Cathy) Liu, University of Washington, awardee. 

NEPA Practitioner Certificate from the White House Council for 

Environmental Quality and the Duke University Nicholas School for the 

Environment, Steve Gurganus 

Southern District ITE International Traffic Bowl Grand Campionship winners: 

Zachary Bugg, Thomas Chase, Tyler Fowler, Abseen Anya. 

Four graduate students at ITRE recently won an 

international quiz bowl competition involving 55 

colleges and universities from across the United 

States and Canada. (l‐r) Tyler Fowler, Abseen 

Anya, Zachary Bugg, and Thomas Chase won the 

Traffic Bowl Grand Championship at the Institute 

of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Annual Meeting 

in Atlanta, Georgia on August 14, 2012, after 

defeating Texas A&M University and the University 

of Toronto in the final round. 


Transatlantic Partnership for Excellence in Engineering Mobility 

Scholarship. Erasmus Mundus Program of the European Union, Polytechnic 

University of Valencia. September-October 2012, Daniel Findley. 

Outstanding student of the year for the Center for Transportation and the 

Environment (CTE), Katy Salamati. 

Outstanding student of the year for the Southeastern Transportation Center 

(STC), Zachary Bugg. 

Dr. Nagui Rouphail, ITRE director, presented the 

inaugural C.E. "Ed" Vick Jr. Transportation Founders 

Fund (TFF) Graduate Scholarship award to David Craft, 

a master’s student who arrived in January 2012 after 

completing his undergraduate degree at LSU, and 

Elizabeth Hunter, a graduating NCSU senior who will 

begin her graduate studies at NC State in the fall. 

TFF is an 

outreach 

activity of the 

Institute for 

Transportation 

Research and 

Education 

(ITRE) and the 

Department of 

Civil, 

Construction, 


Environmental 

Engineering 

(CCEE) at North 

Carolina State 

University. The 

annual Speaker 

Series provides 

a unique 

opportunity for 

transportation 

students and 

professionals in 

North Carolina 

to interact with 

top‐level 

transportation 

executives and 

academics. 

Other Organizations 

American Planning Association (J. Huegy, member) 

American Society of Civil Engineers, Engineers Without Borders, 

Institute of Transportation Engineers (A. Holzem, member) 

Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (S. O’Brien, member) 

Future City Mentor, Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School, 

team was 4 th in the State in 2012 (D. Findley) 

Future City Mentor, Wake-Rolesville Middle School (C. Cunningham) 

Institute for Transportation Engineers (D. Collins, member) 

National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 

(T. Baughman, member) 

National LTAP Association 2012 (J. Martin, past president) 

NCAPWA President-Elect (J. Martin) 

NCDOT Statewide Regionalization Study as requested in 

Section Law 2011-145, Section 28.21 (D. Collins, member) 

NCSITE (D. Collins, member) 

NCSITE Traffic Engineering Council (B. Schroeder, C. Cunningham, members) 

NCSITE Traffic Planning Council (C. Cunningham, member) 

NCSITE Transportation Planning Council (J. Huegy, member) 

NCSITE Simulation and Capacity Models Users Group 

(B. Schroeder, chair, C. Cunningham, friend) 

NCSU Campus Mobility Plan, Advisory Committee (K. Jackson, member) 

North Carolina Chapter/American Planning Association (J. Huegy, member) 

Paper Reviewer for Advances in Automobile Engineering (D. Findley) 

Watch for ME NC Task Force (S. O’Brien, K. Jackson, members) 

Western Boulevard, Raleigh, NC Corridor Study, Core Technical Team 

(K. Jackson, member) 

The TFF panel discussion titled “Future Transportation Funding Options & Strategies” 

was moderated by NC Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti. Other members of the 

panel included Honorable Jim Porcari, U.S. deputy secretary of Transportation, Bob 

Poole, director of transportation policy and the Searle Freedom Trust, Jim Richardson, 

senior vice president of Forest City Real Estate Services, and Rob Zimmer of Battelle. 


2013 Annual Transportation Research 

Board Meeting Participation 

Based on research conducted in 2012, ITRE staff made presentations and 

presided at various meetings of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) at 

the Annual Meeting in January 2013. Many of the 34 presented papers will 

also be considered for publication in upcoming issues of the Transportation 

Research Record. 

A Blueprint for Sustainability: One Department of Transportation’s Pursuit of 

Performance-Based Accountability, Lindsay Maurer/Ted Mansfield/Leigh 

Lane/Julie Hunkins 

A Destination Choice Model for Commercial Vehicle Movements in the 

Metropolitan Area, Bing Mei 

A Deterministic Framework and Methodology for Evaluating Travel Time 

Reliability on Freeway Facilities, Bastian Schroeder/Nagui Rouphail/ 

Behzad Aghdashi 

Agent-Based Approach to Pricing Strategy Evaluation: Incorporation of 

Drivers’ Heterogeneity, Departure Time Shift and Comprehensive Learning 

Model, Anxi Jai/Xuesong Zhou/Nagui Rouphail 

An Incremental Delay Methodolgy for Assessing the Effects of Non-Recurring 

Congestion on Freeway Facilities, Ali Hajbabaie/Bastian Schroeder/Nagui 

Rouphail 

Applying Structured Scheduling to Increase Performance in Rural Demand 

Response Transportation, Kai Monast 

Contrasting Artificial Intelligence Effectiveness: Application to Traffic Signal 

Optimization, Ali Hajbabaie/Rahim Benekohal 

Detailed Time Series Analysis of Travel Time Reliability Performance 

Measures, Thomas Chase/Billy Williams/Nagui Rouphail 

Developing Reliability Monitoring Program: Implementing the Findings of 

SHRP 2 Project L02, George List 

Effectiveness of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon Treatments at Multilane 

Pedestrian Crossings at Roundabouts, Bastian Schroeder 

Effects of License Plate Attributes on Automatic License Plate Recognition, 

Daniel Findley/Chris Cunningham/Jeff Chang/Kyle Hovey/Michael Corwin 

Effects of Metered Entry Volume on an Oversaturated Network with Dynamic 

Signal Timing, Juan Medina/Ali Hajbabaie/Rahim Benekohal 

Emission Estimation at Multilane Roundabouts: Effect of Movement and 

Approach Lane, Katy Salamati/Margarida Coelho/R. Fernandes/Nagui 

Rouphail/J. Bandeira/Chris Frey 

Empirical Study and Assessment of the Operational Performance of Double 

Crossover Diamond Interchanges, Chris Vaughan/Chris Cunningham/ 

Bastian Schroeder/Joe Hummer 

Enhancements to Freeway Facilities Method in the HCM to Enable Reliability 

Analysis, Soheil Sajjadi/Bastian Schroeder/Nagui Rouphail 

Estimating Incident Propensity for Reliability Analysis in the Highway 

Capacity Manual, Behzad Aghdashi/Nagui Rouphail/Ali Hajbabaie 

Event-Based Modeling of Driver Yielding Behavior to Pedestrians at Two-Lane 

Roundabout Approaches, Katy Salamati/Bastian Shroeder/Duane Geruschat/ 

Nagui Rouphail 

FHWA Livability Performance Measures: Moving Goals into Action, Leigh Lane 

Freeway Facilities Methodology Calibration for Travel Time Reliability 

Analysis: I-40 Case Study in NC, Sohiel Sajjadi/Ali Hajbabaie/ Nagui Rouphail 

Freeway Reliability for the Highway Capacity Manual, Nagui Rouphail/ 

Bastian Schroeder/Behzad Aghdashi 

Of the 34 papers presented at TRB, 13 were in lecture 

form and 21 were posters. Many of these will be 

considered for publication in upcoming issues of the 

Transportation Research Record. 


Pictured above are some of the posters presented by ITRE 

staff at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual 

Meeting in Washington, DC. 

Dr. Bastian Schroeder talks with NCSITE president Radha 

Swayampakala during the ITRE poster session at TRB while 

Jia Hu explains his poster to a conference attendee. 

Human Factors Workshop: HF-09 Innovative Pedestrian and Bicycle 

Accommodations at Roundabouts: New Ideas and Surpassing Barriers to 

Innovation, Bastian Schroeder, presiding 

Implications of Trip Generation Rate Changes Over Time, Leta Huntsinger/ 

Nagui Rouphail/John Stone 

Incorporating Weather Effects in HCM Reliability Analysis, Thomas Chase/Ali 

Hajbabaie/Bastian Schroeder 

Linking Carrier Descriptive Attributes to Crash Patterns: Untapped Tool in 

State Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Programs, Alejandra Flintsch/Robert 

Clarke/Ron Hughes/Tammy Trimble/Jeremy Scott 

L02 Establishing Monitoring Programs for Mobility and Travel Time Reliability, 

George List 

Locating Traffic Sensors on a Highway Network: Models and Algorithms, 

Fatemeh Sayyady/Yayha Fathi/George List/John Stone 

Method and Case Study for Quantifying the Emissions Impact of a 

Transportation Improvement Project Involving Road Realignment and a Multi- 

Lane Roundabout, Nagui Rouphail/H. Christopher Frey/Abseen Anya/Bin Liu 

Methodology for Developing an HCM-based Oversaturated Speed Flow Model, 

Yilun Xu/Billy Williams/Nagui Rouphail/Thomas Chase 

Microlevel Land Use and Demographic Models, Joe Huegy, presiding 

Public Opinions of Roadway Assets Using a New Method–The Roadway Review, 

Chris Cunningham/Jeff Chang/Daniel Findley/Chris Vaughan/Aaron Hekele/ 

Chris Tatham/James Martin 

SHRP 2 Capacity and Reliability - Works in Progress and Emerging Products, 

George List 

Synthesizing Route Travel Time Distributions From Segment Travel Time 

Distributions, Issac Kumar Isukapati/George List/Billy Williams/Alan Karr 

Temporal Stability of Generation Choice Models, 

Leta Huntsinger/Nagui Rouphail 

Traffic Signal Timing Optimization: Choosing the Objective Function, 

Ali Hajbabaie/Rahim Benekohal 

Translating Principles of Sustainability into Accountability Framework for 

NCDOT, Leigh Lane 

The highlight of the annual TRB meeting is the NC State reception for alumni, friends and supporters jointly hosted by ITRE and the Department of Civil, 

Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE). The reception provides an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to say thank you to loyal 

alumni and supporters, to strengthen ongoing collaborations and make new ones, and more importantly to express gratitude to our loyal reception 

sponsors who make it possible for this event to happen. 


Conference and Workshop Attendance, 

Participation and Exhibits in 2012 

(by program or group) 

Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) 

Context Sensitive Solutions National Dialog 2 Workshop, Springfield, IL, 

September 2012 (J. Martin, N. Bailey, E. Murray) 

Context Sensitive Solutions National Dialog 2 Workshop, Lansing, MI, 

November 2012 (L. Lane, N. Bailey, E. Murray) 

Getting Out the Word as Well as the Trains: Local Business Support for 

Passenger Rail Stations and Service, Southeastern Rail-Highway Safety 

Conference, Charlotte, NC, November 2012 (D. Robinson, guest speaker) 

North Carolina Title VI & Environmental Justice Interagency/Community 

Workshop, Durham, NC, September 2012 (S. Gurganus, presenter) 

Risk Assessment & Return On Investment for the Customer, National 

Mitigation & Ecosystem Banking Conference, Sacramento, CA, May 2012, 

(D. Robinson, presenter) 

This image shows a two‐lane roundabout in Olympia, WA, 

which is one of the test sites of an ITRE project for FHWA 

investigating the Effect of Rectangular Rapid‐Flashing 

Beacons (RRFB) on the accessibility of two‐lane roundabouts 

to pedestrians who are blind. 

Highway Systems 

2012 International Mobility Conference. Roundabout Signalization in the US: 

Opportunities and Challenges for Establishing Accessibility. February 15, 

2012. Palmerston North, New Zealand. (B. Schroeder, presenter) 

2012 FHWA Webinar. Pedestrian Safety and Accessibility Considerations at 

Modern Roundabouts. Pedestrian Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), March 

2012 (B. Schroeder, presenter) 

2012 Innovations in Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics, and Highway 

Capacity and Quality of Service Symposium. June 19-22, 2012. Fort 

Lauderdale, FL. (B. Schroeder, conference co-organizer and session 

moderator) 

2012 Highway Capacity and Quality of Service Symposium. Freeway 

Reliability for the Highway Capacity Manual. June 19-22, 2012. Fort 

Lauderdale, FL. (B. Schroeder, presenter) 

2012 PTV User Group Meeting. Modeling Double-Crossover Diamond (DCD) 

Interchanges in VISSIM – Calibration, Challenges, and Lessons Learned. 

July 17-19, 2012. Minneapolis, MN (B. Schroeder, presenter) 

2012 ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibit. Early Findings on the Operational 

Impacts of Double Crossover Diamond Interchanges. August 13-15, 2012, 

Atlanta, GA (B. Schroeder, presenter) 

2012 NCSITE Technical Retreat and Conference. August 27-28, 2012. 

Asheboro, NC. (B. Schroeder, conference co-organizer and 

session moderator) 

2012 Southern Orientation Mobility Association Conference. Modern 

Roundabouts – A Discussion of Safety, Efficiency, and Accessibility 

Tradeoffs. September 30, 2012. Richmond, VA. (B. Schroeder) 

2012 Southern Orientation Mobility Association Conference. 

How Traffic Signals Work and Why You Should Learn About Them. 

September 30, 2012. Richmond, VA. (B. Schroeder, presenter) 

2012 ITE/TRB Webinar: Freeway Facility Method Applications. 

October 30, 2012. (B. Schroeder, presenter) 

2012 ITE: Early Findings on the Operational Impacts of Double Crossover 

Diamond Interchanges. November 13, 2012. (B. Schroeder, presenter) 

Safety Assessment of Auxiliary Through Lanes at Signalized Intersections, 

Presented at 4th Annual TRB Urban Streets Symposium/ITE Midwestern 

District Annual Meeting. (Z. Bugg, J. Hummer, B. Schroeder, presenters) 

Dr. Daniel Findley, PE, Senior Research Associate in the 

Highway Systems Group, recently participated in a 

mobility scholarship through the Transatlantic Partnership 

for Excellence in Engineering (TEE). The TEE is an Erasmus 

Mundus‐Action 2 Project funded by the European 

Commission. The objective of the program is to encourage 

structured cooperation between European, US, and 

Canadian Higher Education Institutions. Under this 

arrangement, Dr. Findley spent one month at the 

Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) in Valencia, Spain 

collaborating with researchers in the Highway Engineering 

Research Group at UPV. 


“Effects of License Plate Attributes on Automatic License 

Plate Recognition,” a presentation at the AAMVA 

conference in Charlotte, describes an experiment 

designed to develop a comprehensive and thorough 

understanding of the readability of North Carolina’s 

license plates with an Automatic License Plate 

Recognition system. The research focused on law 

enforcement applications and utilized two infrared 

camera systems for data collection in a controlled 

environment involving over 900 license plates. The key 

finding of this research project is that the current, 

standard issue, blue ink license plate has the highest 

capture and read rates among plates tested in the 

study. Factors which decreased the capture and read 

rates were personalized syntax, specialty license plates, 

and the presence of stacked characters on a specialty 

license plate. 

Effects of License Plate Attributes on Automatic License Plate Recognition, 

American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) Annual 

International Conference, August 21, 2012. Charlotte, NC. 

(D. Findley, presenter) 

91st Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Structural and Safety 

Investigation of Statewide Weathered Steel Beam Guardrail Performance in 

North Carolina. Washington, DC, Jan. 24, 2012. 

(C. Cunningham, presenter) 

TRB Traffic Signal Systems Mid-Year Meeting. Recommendations for Corridor 

and Signal Timing Improvements at Diverging Diamond Interchanges. Irvine, 

CA, July 23, 2012 (C. Cunningham, presenter) 

TRB Access Management Mid-Year Meeting. Field Evaluation of Restricted 

Crossing U-Turn intersections – The Maryland Experience. Dallas, TX, 

July 18, 2012 (C. Cunningham, presenter) 

TRB Access Management Mid-Year Meeting. Restricted Crossing U-Turn 

Intersection Safety Analysis – The North Carolina Experience. Dallas, TX, 

July 18, 2012 (C. Cunningham, presenter) 

Southern Orientation Mobility Association Conference. Modern Roundabouts 

– A Discussion of Safety, Efficiency, and Accessibility Tradeoffs. 

Richmond, VA, September 30, 2012 (C. Cunningham, presenter) 

Southern Orientation Mobility Association Conference. How Traffic Signals 

Work and Why You Should Learn About Them. Richmond, VA, 

September 30, 2012 (C. Cunningham, presenter) 

ITRE Director 

Incorporation of Travel Time Reliability into the Highway Capacity Manual, 

for SHRP-2, L08 Project at the 91 st Annual Meeting of the Transportation 

Research Board, January 21, 2012 (N. Rouphail, presenter) 

Mesoscopic Modeling of Vehicle Emissions, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, 

Portugal, March 6, 2012. (N. Rouphail, presenter) 

ITRE @ 34, who we are and what we want to be when we grow up? Student- 

Led NCSITE Meeting, March 30, 2012 (N. Rouphail, keynote presenter) 

Travel Time Reliability on Freeways, SHRP-2, L08 Project Webinar, 

Baltimore, Md, April 16, 2012 (N. Rouphail, presenter) 

Freeway Reliability for the Highway Capacity Manual, TRB Symposium on 

Innovations in Traffic Flow Theory, and Highway Capacity and Quality of 

Service, June 19-22, 2012, Ft Lauderdale, FL (N. Rouphail, presenter) 

Open Source DTA Tool for Pricing and Safety: Large Network Capabilities 

and Test Results, Webinar to FHWA and Stakeholders, November 27, 2012 

(N. Rouphail, presenter) 

Freeway Reliability in the Context of the U.S. Highway Capacity Manual, 5 th 

International Symposium on Transportation Network Reliability, Hong Kong, 

China, December 18-19, 2012, (N. Rouphail, B. Schroeder and W. Kittelson) 

Forging an Understanding of Travel Time Reliability for Freeway and 

Arterial Networks, 5 th International Symposium on Transportation Network 

Reliability, Hong Kong, China, December 18-19, 2012, 

(N. Rouphail, G. List, B. Williams) 

ITRE provided administrative and technical support to 

the APWA‐NC Annual Equipment Show and State 

Chapter Conference as part of the NC‐LTAP program. 

NC Local Technical Assistant Program (NC LTAP) 

APWA National Congress, Anaheim, CA, August 2012 (J. Martin) 

APWA - NC Annual State Chapter Conference & Equipment Show, Concord, 

NC (facilitated and attended by J. Martin, L. Collier and B. Woods) 

APWA-NC Combined Equipment Services and Streets Divisions, Asheville, NC, 

October 2012-facilitated by NC LTAP 

(J. Martin, L. Collier, B. Woods participated) 

LTAP National Conference, Grapevine, Texas, July 2012 

(J. Martin, L. Collier attended) 

LTAP Region 4 Meeting, Myrtle Beach, SC, May 2012 - (J. Martin, L. Collier, 

B. Woods participated) 


NextGen Air Transportation (NGAT) Center 

AUVSI Unmanned Systems North America Conference, Las Vegas, NV, August 

2012 (K. Snyder, attended) 

Southern Albemarle Association Annual Conference, Plymouth, NC, October 

2012 (K. Snyder, presenter) 

NC UAS Forum 2012 Conference, Raleigh, NC, July 2012 (K. Snyder, hosted) 

Public Transportation 

1-Year after the Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Summit – Are We 

Making Progress? 19 th Annual NC Association of Metropolitan Planning 

Organizations Conference, Asheville, NC, May 2012 

(S. O’Brien and K. Jackson, co-presenters) 

Restructuring Eastern North Carolina Intercity Bus Routes, 20 th National 

Conference for Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation, Salt Lake City, 

UT, October 2012 (T. Cook, presenter) 

Americans with Disabilities Act Workshops, Raleigh and Hickory, NC, 

July 2012 (D. Collins, presenter, K. Monast, attended) 

Complete Streets Training Program: Framework Workshop, Raleigh, NC, 

April 2012 (S. O’Brien, participated) 

Navigating NCDOT and Affecting Transportation Decisions, Move More 

Scholars Institute, Pine Knoll Shores, NC, May 2012 (S. O’Brien, presenter) 

NCDOT Public Transportation Conference, Raleigh NC, October 2012 

(D. Collins, K. Monast, M. Everhart, presenters) 

North Carolina Injury and Violence Prevention Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, 

May 2012 (S. O’Brien, attended) 

North Carolina Bike Summit, Raleigh, NC, October 2012 

(K. Jackson, attended) 

North Carolina Public Transportation Association Conference, Wilmington, 

NC, May 2012 (D. Collins, K. Monast, J. Worthy attended) 

North Carolina Statewide Bicycle Plan Focus Groups, Transportation 

Efficiency and Accountability, Transportation Equity, October 2012 

(K. Jackson) 

Safe Routes to School and the Let’s Go NC! Curriculum, NC Healthy Schools 

Summer Institute, Wilmington, NC, June 2012 (S. O’Brien, presenter) 

The Use of ‘Your Speed’ Changeable Message Signs in School Zones – 

Experience from the North Carolina Safe Routes to School Program, 19 th 

Annual NC Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations Conference, 

Asheville, NC, May 2012 (S. O’Brien, presenter) 

Triangle Bicycle and Pedestrian Workshop, March 2012 

(K. Jackson, attended) 

Pupil Transportation 

Improving School Transportation Safety in China, International Workshop, 

Beijing, China, July 2012 (J. Tsai, presenter) 

North Carolina Pupil Transportation Association Conference, Kitty Hawk, NC, 

June 2012 (B. Sluder, presenter 3 sessions, M. Perez, presenter 4 sessions) 

North Carolina Pupil Transportation Association District 9 Summer Miniconference, 

New Bern, NC, August 2012 (B. Sluder, presenter 2 sessions) 

School Bus Stop Arm Violation Video Camera System, North Carolina Pupil 

Transportation Association Conference, Kitty Hawk, NC, June 2012 

(J. Tsai, presenter) 

Transportation Efficiency Seminar, North Carolina Pupil Transportation 

Association Conference, Kitty Hawk, NC, June 2012 (J. Tsai, presenter) 

Tom Cook, ITRE program director, presented at the 20th 

National Rural Public and Intercity Bus Conference. 

On May 22, 2012 the World Bank and the Pupil 

Transportation Safety Education Activities Office 

(PTSEAO) held a one‐day international workshop in 

Beijing on “Improving School Transport Safety in China” to 

share international experiences on school transport safety, 

to highlight the topics of legislation, school bus operation 

and financing regulations, and to facilitate dialogue 

amongst various national agencies and local governments 

in order to discuss the challenges and approaches to a safe 

and sustainable school transport system in China. 

The workshop, supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies 

and part of the United Nation’s Decade of Action for Road 

Safety, brought international experts on school transport 

together with local Chinese experts and various 

stakeholders from around the country. Along with other 

international experts, Jeff Tsai, ITRE program director, 

discussed the 5‐E’s approach to developing a safe and 

sustainable multi‐modal school transportation system. 


Travel Behavior Modeling 

Impacts of Land Use Strategies on Travel Behavior in Small Communities and 

Rural Areas, 2012 Tools of the Trade Conference, Big Sky, Montana, 

September, 2012 (J. Huegy, presenter) 

Visual Analytics, Modeling and Simulation (VAMS) 

How Shifting IT Trends are Affecting Geospatial Professional Workforce 

Development, National Transportation Workforce Summit, Washington, DC, 

April 2012 (G. Ferrara, panel presenter) 

GIS Crash Mapping for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Community 

Policing Symposium, Raleigh, NC, May 2012 (G. Ferrara, presenter) 

Tools for Visualizing Enforcement Data as Aids to Improved Operations and 

Planning, International Association of Law Enforcement Planners, Charlotte, 

NC, September 2012 (B. Foley, presenter) 

Published Refereed Journal Papers 

Dr. Daniel Findley et al. published a paper in the Journal 

of Public Works Management and Policy titled: “Finding 

and Measuring Horizontal Curves in a Large Highway 

Network: A GIS Approach.” An analysis was 

undertaken on curves to determine the accuracy of 

using GIS to identify curves. The safety of horizontal 

curves from a system perspective was also 

benchmarked in order to understand curves as a system 

instead of as isolated roadway features. The policy 

implications are that the additional curve data will 

enable a more cost effective distribution of funding for 

improvements, a more efficient delivery of maintenance 

operations, and a safer roadway network. 

Bugg, Zachary, Nagui Rouphail, Bastian Schroeder, (2012) In Press. Lane 

Choice Model for Signalized Intersections with an Auxiliary Through Lane, 

ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering. 

Bugg, Zachary, Bastian Schroeder, and Nagui Rouphail, (2012) In Press. 

Guidance for Simulation-Based Modeling of Auxiliary Through Lanes. 

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research 

Board. 

Bugg, Zachary, Nagui Rouphail, Bastian Schroeder, and Brandon Nevers. 

(2012) Implementing Auxiliary Through Lanes in a Highway Capacity 

Analysis Context. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the 

Transportation Research Board, No. 2286. Pp. 21-28. 

Chase, Thomas, Billy Williams, Nagui Rouphail and SangKey Kim, (2012) 

In Press. Comparative Evaluation of Reported Speeds from Corresponding 

Fixed-Point and Probe-Based Detection Systems. Transportation Research 

Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 

Cunningham, Chris, Bastian Schroeder, Chris Vaughan,and Ron Hughes, 

(2012) In Press. Is TACT Effective in Changing Driver Behavior: Evidence 

from North Carolina TACT III Effort. Transportation Research 


Findley, Daniel, Charles Zegeer, Carl Sundstrom, Joseph Hummer, and 

William Rasdorf, (2012), Applying the Highway Safety Manual to Two-Lane 

Road Curves. In Press. Transportation Research Record, Journal of the 

Transportation Research Forum. 

Findley, Daniel, Chris Cunningham, William Letchworth, and Michael Corwin, 

(2012), Predicting Trip Generation Characteristics of Power Centers, ITE 

Journal of Transportation, Vol.4, Issue 1, Pp. 19-28. 

Findley, Daniel, Chris Cunningham, Bastian Schroeder, Chris Vaughan, and 

Tyler Fowler, (2012), Structural and Safety Investigation of Statewide 

Weathered Steel Beam Guardrail Performance in North Carolina. In Press. 

Transportation Research Record, Journal of the Transportation Research 

Board. 

Findley, Daniel, Joseph Hummer, William Rasdorf, and Brian Laton, (2012), 

Collecting Horizontal Curve Data: Mobile Asset Vehicles and Other 

Techniques. Journal of Infrastructure Systems. American Society of Civil 

Engineers. 

Findley, Daniel, Charles Zegeer, Carl Sundstrom, Joseph Hummer, William 

Rasdorf, and Tyler Fowler, (2012), Finding and Measuring Horizontal Curves 

in a Large Highway Network: A GIS Approach. Public Works Management and 

Policy. American Public Works Association. Volume 17, No. 2. 

Pages 189-211. 


Findley, Daniel, Joseph Hummer, William Rasdorf, Charles Zegeer, and Tyler 

Fowler, (2012), Modeling the Impact of Spatial Relationships on Horizontal Curve 

Safety. Accident Analysis and Prevention. Elsevier. Volume 45. Pages 296-304. 

Hu, Jia, Bastian Schroeder, and Nagui Rouphail. (2012) Rationale for 

Incorporating Queue Discharge Flow into HCM Freeway Facility Analysis Procedure. 

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 

No. 2286. Pp. 76-83. 

Huntsinger, Leta and Nagui Rouphail. (2012) Value of Life Cycle in Explaining Trip 

Making Behavior and Improving Temporal Stability of Trip Generation Models. In 

Press. Transportation Research Record, Journal of the Transportation Research 

Board. 

Jia, Anxi, Xuesong Zhou, and Nagui Rouphail. (2012) Investigating Traffic Mobility 

Impact of Mileage-Based User Fees on Traveler Route Choice Behavior and 

Network Performance: A Planning-Level Traffic Equilibrium-Based Approach. In 

Press. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research 

Board. 

Liu, Xiaoyue, Yinhai Wang, Bastian Schroeder and Nagui Rouphail. (2012) An 

Analytical Framework for Managed Lane Facility Performance Evaluation, ITE 

Journal, Vol 82, Issue 10, pp. 30-36. 

Liu, C., Billy Williams and Nagui Rouphail. (2012) Temporal Stability of Freeway 

Macroscopic Traffic Stream Models. In Press. Transportation Research Record, 

Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 

Liu, Xiaoyue, Bastian Schroeder and Nagui Rouphail. (2012) Quantifying Cross- 

Weave Impact on Capacity Reduction for Freeway Facilities with Managed Lanes. 

In Press. Transportation Research Record, Journal of Transportation Research 

Board. 

O’Brien, Sarah and Carrie Simpson, (2012), The Use of “Your Speed” Changeable 

Message Signs in School Zones – Experience from the North Carolina Safe Routes 

to School Program. In Press, Transportation Research Record: Journal of the 

Transportation Research Board. 

Rasdorf, William, Daniel Findley, Charles, Zegeer, Carl Sundstrom, and Joseph 

Hummer, (2012), Evaluation of GIS Applications for Horizontal Curve Data 

Collection. Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering. American Society of Civil 

Engineers. Volume 25, No. 2. Pages 191-203. 

Robinson, David. (2012) North Carolina By Rail; A Green Way to Travel the Tar 

Heel State, (ISBN 9781105576102). 

Robinson, David, (2012) Full Delivery Manual for Mitigation Procurement, 

(ISBN 9781105784750) 

Salamati, Katy, Bastian Schroeder, Nagui Rouphail, Chris Cunningham, Yulin 

Zang, David Kaber. (2012) In Press. Simulator Study of Driver Responses to 

Pedestrian Treatments at Multilane Roundabouts. Transportation Research 


Schroeder, Bastian, Nagui Rouphail, Katy Salamati, and Zach Bugg. In Press. 

Impact of Pedestrian Impedance on Vehicular Capacity at Multilane Roundabouts 

with Consideration of Crossing Treatments. Journal of the Transportation 

Research Board. 

North Carolina By Rail: A Green Way to Travel the 

Tar Heel State, ISBN 9781105576102, David 

Robinson, 2012 

Through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 

project, NCDOT Public Transportation Division has 

funded in‐vehicle security cameras for the eighty 

systems serving the community transportation 

program areas. The configuration is a 2‐camera 

system in mini‐vans and a 4‐camera system in all 

other vehicles set up to capture the following events: 

wheelchair deployment, G‐force and operator panic 

button. Currently, installations have occurred in 2 of 

10 groups. We have already experienced assistance 

with passenger complaints, identified many areas for 

retraining as well as opportunities to praise the 

operators for making good decisions. ITRE is grateful 

for the opportunity to participate in and facilitate 

activities on this project. 


Schroeder, Bastian, Seyedbehzad Aghdashi, Nagui Rouphail, Xiaoyue Liu, 

and Yinhai Wang. (2012) Deterministic Approach to Managed Lane 

Analysis on Freeways in a Highway Capacity Manual Context. 


Board. No. 2286. Pp. 122-132. 

Thomson, Timothy, Xiaoyne Liu, Yinhai Wang, Bastian Schroeder, and 

Nagui Rouphail. (2012) Operational Performance and Speed-Flow 

Relationships for Basic Managed-Lane Segments. Transportation 

Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. No. 

2286. Pp. 94-104. 

Roads and bridges throughout North Carolina are susceptible to 

damage by overweight trucks, especially if the roads and bridges 

were not built to handle the extra weight. An article by Greg 

Ferrara and Jeremy Scott published in the Winter 2012 issue of 

"GIS in Transportation: A Newsletter from the Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA)," shares information that is assisting the 

Motor Carrier Enforcement (MCE) section of the North Carolina 

State Highway Patrol in protecting the state’s federally funded 

roads and bridges by identifying road segments that are 

susceptible to damage from overweight trucks. 

Shown above is “NCHRP Report 707: 

Guidelines on the Use of Auxiliary Through 

Lanes (ATLs) at Signalized Intersections.” 

ITRE was a key research partner in this twoyear 

project led by Kittelson and Associates, 

Inc. ITRE staff was centrally involved 

throughout all stages of the project and led 

key efforts on site selection, data collection 

and extraction, statistical modeling, 

simulation, and the development of a 

computational procedure. The guidelines, 

intended to be used as a decision support 

tool, document safety characteristics of ATLs 

and provide recommendations for 

determining ATL design elements, 

operations, signing, and safety. 

Xiaoyne Liu, Yinhai Wang, Bastian Schroeder, and Nagui Rouphail. In 

Press. Quantifying Cross-Weave Impact on Capacity Reduction for 

Freeway Facilities with Managed Lanes. Accepted for Publication by the 


Board. 

Other Publications and Reports 

Chang, Jeffrey, Tsai, M.K., Findley, D.J., and Cunningham, C.M. 

Infrastructure Investment Protection with LiDAR. North Carolina 

Department of Transportation. Report FHWA/NC 2012-15. October 2012. 

Cook, Thomas. Restructuring Eastern North Carolina Subsidized Routes 

(Intercity Bus). Technical Memorandum produced for the North Carolina 

Department of Transportation, Public Transportation Division, April 

2012. 

Cook, Thomas. Analysis of Intercity Bus Routes Receiving Operating 

Assistance Through the FTA and NCDOT Section 5311(f) Intercity Bus 

Program. Technical Memorandum produced for the North Carolina 

Department of Transportation, Public Transportation Division, May 2012. 

Cook, Thomas, Monast, K., and Collins, D. A Tool for Assessing 

Community Transportation System Fleet Size and Mix. North Carolina 

Department of Transportation, Public Transportation Division, August 

2012. 

Cunningham, Chris, Hummer, J.E., Change, J., Katz, D., Vaughan, 

C., Findley, D.J., Schroeder, B., McAvoy, D. All-Weather Paint for Work 

Zones – Field Evaluation in North Carolina and Ohio. Report submitted 

to FHWA, Highways for Life Program, March 2012. 

Ferrara, Greg. A Performance Measurement Needs Assessment for 

NCSHP Operational Planning Decision Support. GHSP Funded Research, 

September 2012. 

Ferrara, Greg and Scott, J. A GIS-Based Road Vulnerability Index (RVI), 

Editorial published in GIS in Transportation Newsletter—FHWA, and in 

The Guardian, Vol 19, Issue 2. Winter 2012. 

Findley, Daniel, Cunningham, C.M., Chang, J.C., Hovey, K.A., and 

Corwin, M.A. Effects of License Plate Attributes on Automatic License 

Plate Recognition. North Carolina Department of Transportation, 

Division of Motor Vehicles. July 2012. 

Findley, Daniel, Cunningham, C.M., Chang, J.C., Hovey, K.A., and 

Corwin, M.A. Best Practices Guide for Improving Automated License 

Plate Reader Effectiveness through Uniform License Plate Design and 

Manufacture. American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators 

(AAMVA). Appendix F: North Carolina State University Study on Effects 

of License Plate Attributes on ALPR. September 2012. 

Gurganus, Steve. Consideration of Transportation-Related Health 

Effects Under NEPA at the North Carolina Department of 

Transportation. Capstone paper for NEPA Practitioner Certification, 

2012. 

Hartell Ann, Murray, E. The Evolution of the Ecology-Transportation 

Discipline: An Analysis of Ten Years of ICOET Proceedings. Invited 

paper. Infra Eco Network Europe (IENE), International Conference, 

Potsdam, Germany, October 2012. 

Monast, Kai, and Worthy, J. Applying Structured Scheduling to Increase 

Performance in Rural Demand-Response Transportation. Journal of 

Public Transportation, Vol. 15, No. 3. 2012. 


Student Support 

Support for Scholars and Students 

ITRE research and technical assistance projects continue to engage and support a large number of students from various disciplines 

and universities. The adjoining tables summarize our record of accomplishments in providing student support, indicating increased 

graduate student participation in ITRE research. In 2012, we had the highest number of supported research graduate students in our 

history (31). More importantly, much of the graduate student support has come from federal research dollars from agencies such as 

the National Science Foundation, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the Strategic Highway Research 

Program (SHRP-2), the Federal Highway Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. Many of the graduate students at 

ITRE have received full Research Assistantship support. We also provided meaningful research experiences for our undergraduate 

students, primarily in the areas of transportation systems, rail operations and a variety of other fields. ITRE also recruited two high 

school students, Kaitlyn Tsai, from the Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) program, Apex High School, Apex, NC. and Edward 

Foyle from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC. 

Post-Doctoral Fellows and Visiting Scholars 

ITRE continues to engage both post-doctoral candidates and visiting students and scholars. This past year, we were pleased to hire Dr. 

Ali Hajbabaie who has completed his doctoral work at the University of Illinois at Urban Champaign (UIUC) in the areas of traffic 

operations, focused on signal optimization, and safety. Ali is currently engaged in research at the national level including several 

SHRP-2 and NCHRP projects, and on an NCDOT project on arterial work zones. 

PhD student Guillermina (Mina) Torrao at the University of Aveiro, Portugal also spent the spring 2012 semester at ITRE focused on 

completing her dissertation research on safety versus environmental impacts of the Portuguese vehicle fleet. 

We have continued our research partnership with the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon in the area of transportation and the 

environment by hosting Professor Tiago Farias and Dr. Goncalo Goncalves from IST for a short visit in October 2012. 

2012 Supported Graduate Students 

Seyedbehzad Aghdashi 

Abseen Anya 

Shreyas Bharadwat 

Zachary Bugg 

Thomas Chase 

Yi Chen 

Tabitha Combs 

David Craft 

Anne Holzem 

Jiangchuan Hu 

Elizabeth Hunter 

Fnu Chaithra Jagadish 

Anxi Jia 

Dwayne Jones 

Easa Kahn 

Monisha Khurana 

Sangkey Kim 

Paul Ku 

Isaac Kumar 

Ted Mansfield 

Elizabeth Rosen 

Soheil Sajjadi 

Katy Salamati 

Drew Spiliotis 

Elam Summey 

Jaryd Tehini 

Dale Tiska 

Guilhermina Torrao 

Yilun Xu 

Bo Yang 

Chunho Yeom 

2012 Supported Undergraduate Students 

Lauren Anderson 

Jamie Bort 

Michael Corwin 

Fred Cunningham, III 

Bobbie Dupuis 

Anthony Encarnacion 

Brooks Hester 

2012 High School Interns 

Dylan Horne 

Kyle Hovey 

Anna Jackson 

Mark Julis 

Amy Mindick-Walling 

Kagure Wamunyu 

Edward Foyle, Kaitlyn Tsai 

Academic 

Year 

# of 

Graduates 

# of 

Undergraduates 

# of 

High 

School 

Interns 

Total 

2001-02 14 9 23 

2002-03 11 15 26 

2003-04 11 19 30 

2004-05 11 23 34 

2005-06 15 17 32 

2006-07 14 11 25 

2007-08 14 10 24 

2008-09 9 4 13 

2009-10 16 12 28 

2010-11 20 18 38 

2011-12 31 13 2 46 

Totals 166 151 2 319 


Exhibit IX 

Summary of Continuing Education Activities 

More than 10,100 transportation professionals – from flaggers to professional engineers – received the benefit of ITRE’s education 

activities during 2012. This has increased by 22% over last year’s totals. The Transportation Founders Fund also offered a wellattended 

seminar in April 2012 on the future of logistics in North Carolina. Exhibit IX lists training areas, workshops and summary 

statistics, including a separate listing of ITRE’s Distance Learning training. 

Program Training/Workshops in 2012 

Instruction 

Hours per 

Session 

Sessions 

Offered 

Total 

Hours 

Attendees 

CSS National Dialog Webcast, Expanding the Conversation, 

April 2012 

1.5 1 1.5 400 

CTE 

CSS National Dialog Workshop and Webcast, 

Springfield, IL , September 2012 

4 1 4 

36 onsite 

227 webcast 

CSS National Dialog Workshop and Webcast, 

Lansing, MI, November 2012 

4 1 4 

35 onsite 

222 webcast 

ITRE 

Transportation Founders Fund Reception at NC State 

University, Raleigh, NC, April 2012 

Transportation Research Board reception at Annual TRB 

Meeting, Washington, DC, January 2012 

Distance Learning 

1 110 

1 225 

FEP Spring Program for NCDOT employees 3 44 132 201 

FEP Fall Program for NCDOT Employees 3 42 126 175 

Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Tues/Fri review course 3 40 120 45 

Classroom Training 

PROFESSIONAL ENHANCEMENT COURSES 

PE Friday/Saturday 14 8 112 30 

PE Wednesday Night Review Course 3 22 66 75 

Highway Engineering Concepts (HEC) Raleigh 7 18 126 35 

DOT MAINTENANCE COURSES 

Highways 

Drainage 7 23 161 690 

Guardrail 7 

6 42 180 

WORK ZONE COURSES 

Flagger Training 4 25 100 500 

Flagger Instructor Training 12 8 96 1295 

Work Zone Safety—Basic 6 37 222 1435 

Work Zone Safety—Intermediate 7 41 287 805 

Work Zone Safety Supervisor 20 23 460 690 

SOFTWARE TRAINING WORKSHOPS 

SYNCHRO 14 1 14 12 

VISSIM (Introduction, Advanced I & II) 28 2 28 17 

CTE, ITRE and Highways Totals 147.5 345 2101.5 7,440 



Instruction 

Hours per 

Session 

Sessions 

Offered 

Total 

Hours 

Attendance 

Advanced Computers: Practical Applications 8 1 8 5 

Advanced Construction Inspection -AWPA-NC 12 1 12 17 

Advanced Work Zone Safety Training 8 1 8 28 

Asphalt Pavement Maintenance 8 4 32 57 

Asphalt Roller Operator Safety Training 8 2 16 21 

Backhoe Operator Safety Training 8 2 16 27 

Basic Work Zone Safety Training 8 13 104 257 

Computers: An Introduction to Reports and Presentations 7 2 14 17 

Concrete: What, When, and How 8 2 16 30 

Confined Space Entry and Lockout/Tagout 8 3 24 39 

Construction Inspection for Public Works Projects APWA-NC 18 1 18 25 

Construction Math for Transportation Personnel 8 5 40 96 

EDC Exchange #2: Geosynthetic Reinforced Soils (GRS) 2 1 2 7 

EDC Exchange #3: Flexibility in ROW 2 1 2 2 

EDC Exchange #4: In Lieu Fees / Mitigation Banking 2 1 2 6 

EDC Exchange #5: Adaptive Signal Control Technologies (ASCT) 2 1 2 5 

Erosion Control 8 1 8 29 

Excavation Safety 8 3 24 27 

Fall Protection 8 2 16 26 

LTAP 

Flagger Instructor Training 12 5 60 50 

Flagger Training 4 13 52 68 

Intermediate Work Zone Safety Training 8 4 32 66 

Low-Cost Safety Improvements 8 4 32 38 

Maintenance and Repair of Utility Cuts 4 4 16 59 

Management Skills for Experienced Supervisors 8 1 8 29 

Management Skills for First -Time Managers 8 2 16 43 

Managing Conflict with Employees and the Public 8 3 8 51 

Motorgrader Operator Safety Training 8 1 8 13 

OSHA 10 Hour Safety Training 10 4 40 77 

Plan Reading for Transportation Personnel 8 2 16 27 

Practical Applications of Spreadsheets, Reports, and Presentations 8 1 8 8 

Road Safety Fundamentals 8 1 8 11 

Soils Fundamentals 8 2 16 25 

Stormwater Hydrology 8 2 16 46 

Tort Liability and Risk Management 8 1 8 31 

Traffic Calming 8 2 16 36 

Trenching Competent Person 8 6 48 60 

Work Zone Traffic Control Supervisor 24 5 120 60 

NC LTAP Totals 307 110 892 1519 



Instruction 

Hours per 

Session 

Sessions 

Offered 

Total 

Hours 

Attendees 

Distance Learning: Webinars 

Emerging Technologies for Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning 1.25 1 1.25 8 

Land Use Planning and Routine Inclusion of Bicycling and 

Walking in New Developments 

1.5 1 1.5 11 

Best Practices for Maintenance Programs 1 1 1 1 

NTTP Update – A Bold Experiment in Four Communities 1.5 1 1.5 5 

In-Street Bike Parking – What, When, Where & How Much 1 1 1 11 

Resolving Conflicts at Complex Intersections 1 1 1 11 

The Greener Side of Green Streets Reducing Pavement 

Footprints 

1 1 1 16 

Transforming Streets into Inviting Public Spaces 1.25 1 1.25 2 

Liability Understanding and Managing Risk 1 1 1 5 

FHWA Experimentation for Advancing Best Practices 1 1 1 2 

Maps that Guide, Encourage and Inform 1 1 1 TBD 

Wayfinding Options for Cyclists 1 1 1 TBD 

Using Your Data 1.5 3 4.5 28 

Understanding Billing 1.5 2 3 12 

Public 


Policies and Practices 1.5 1 1.5 5 

Basics of Scheduling 1.5 2 3 21 

Basics of Dispatching 1.5 1 1.5 19 

Service Delivery Methods 1.5 2 3 9 

AssetWorks Training, Version 12 2 11 22 117 

Assetworks Incident Management 2 4 8 119 

AssetWorks Managers / Overseer Training 2 3 6 62 

Camera Project Webinars 2 10 20 182 

AssetWorks Upgrade and Storekeeper 2 5 10 53 

Classroom Training 

"Watch for Me - NC" Enforcement for Pedestrian Safety 

Tactical Training 

6.5 3 19.5 53 

Transportation Leadership Development 120 2 240 21 

Americans With Disabilities Act 8 3 24 101 

Building Relationships with Public Officials at all Levels 15 1 15 11 

Building and Maintaining Effective Organizations through 

Good Employees 

15 2 30 16 

Budgeting as a Planning Tool for Additional Funding 15 1 15 8 

AssetWorks Refresher Training Varies 45 543 124 

User Groups – Technology, APCs, Planning 3 3 9 60 

Public Transportation Totals 215 116 991.5 1093 



Instruction 

Hours per 

Session 

Sessions 

Offered 

Total 

Hours 

Attendees 

Distance Learning Training 

Blackboard—TDTIMS 3 1 3 25 

Blackboard—EMU & System Admin 3 2 6 7 

Blackboard—TIMS Talk 3 1 3 5 

Classroom Training: 

Pupil 


Open Lab 6 2 12 2 

New User 6 4 48 38 

Reports 6 2 12 11 

Geographic Certification I 6 1 12 10 

Geographic Certification II 6 1 12 10 

ElPlot & GeBndPlan 6 1 6 1 

Run Opt 6 1 6 8 

MS Office & TIMS 6 1 6 7 

Pupil Transportation Totals 57 17 126 124 

The Pupil Transportation program group offers both classroom and customized training on the Transportation Information Management System 

(TIMS) software for school systems across North Carolina. TIMS is a GIS‐based school bus routing and scheduling software with optimization 

algorithms that assist school systems create efficient bus routes while adhering to safety concerns and operating policies. In addition to the 

traditional computer lab training, the support staff also conducts distance learning training using NCSU’s distance learning tools. 


Marketing/Public Relations 

As ITRE works to position itself as a world-class transportation research 

center, the Institute continues to focus its efforts on increasing national 

visibility. Whether making presentations at conferences and seminars - both 

nationally and abroad, receiving awards and recognition for contributions to 

the field, establishing collaborations with universities in foreign countries, or 

working to solve transportation problems and educate transportation 

professionals, ITRE staff work toward the achievement of this goal. 

Sharing the accomplishments and successes brought about by these efforts 

has been the focus of marketing and public relations for 2012. ITRE staff 

members provide services to support the goals and objectives of ITRE that 

relate to marketing and public relations. 

 

 

 

 

On the ITRE Website: 

Activities, events, programs, and research were featured in ITRE 

Directions, a quarterly online newsletter available on the “News 

and Events” page. 

19 news items were featured on the home page. 

Research papers continue to be made available through either 

source links or PDF files from a searchable database in the 

“Research” section of the Website. 

The Transportation Founders Fund Speaker Series for 2012 was 

promoted through a printed brochure and on the ITRE website 

prior to the event. Afterwards, a video of the event, including 

speaker presentations, was made available from the 

“Transportation Founders Fund” section of the site. A photo 

gallery for the event was also made available on the website. 

ITRE recognized staff who presented at the TRB Annual Meeting 

through a listing of session papers and a photo gallery made 

available on the website. 

ITRE worked with its centers and program groups as well as other 

transportation-related organizations to maintain over 15 

websites. 

ITRE continues to share information on Facebook. It is 

accessible through the Facebook button on the home page of the 

website. 

Articles in NCSU Bulletin 

Snyder to Lead NGAT Center (5-8-12) 

http://www.ncsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/bulletin/2012/05/ngat/ 

Hughes Eyes Retirement (6-19-12) 

http://www.ncsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/bulletin/2012/06/hughes/ 

Foyle Retires After 32 Years (6-19-12) 

http://www.ncsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/bulletin/2012/06/foyle/ 

Martin Moves Up at ITRE (7-18-12) 

http://www.ncsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/bulletin/2012/07/martin/ 

Articles in TRB Transportation Research E-Newsletter 

Announcements about ITRE Directions and Annual Reports 

Items in business updates section of News & Observer 

(Career Moves, Tech Moves) 

Kyle Snyder/NGAT director – Career Moves, June 5, 2012 

Ron Hughes & Bob Foyle retirements – Tech Moves, June 25, 

2012 

James Martin as associate director – Tech Moves, July 16, 2012 

Steve Gurganus – Tech Moves, October 2012 


Appendix I 

Summary of Program Groups 

The Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) National Dialog 2 

builds upon FHWA's efforts to promote an ongoing 

exchange of ideas, and to drive momentum for wider 

implementation of CSS in the transportation industry. The 

2012‐2013 workshop series highlights the linkages between 

CSS and sustainability, livability, striking a balance 

between needs and affordability, as well as the value of 

CSS for improving all phases of the transportation decisionmaking 

process, from planning, to design, construction, 

maintenance, performance evaluation, and into the next 

planning cycle. 

Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) 

As a US Department of Transportation University Transportation Center of 

Excellence, the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) 

conducts research, education, and technology transfer activities that seek to 

mitigate the impacts of surface transportation on the environment. CTE’s 

mission is national in scope, though it co-sponsors activities and makes its 

services available at the local, state, and regional levels. 

CTE has provided more than 20 years of service to transportation and 

environmental professionals and has a pivotal role in developing the next 

generation of professionals who will be charged with meeting future mobility 

needs in an environmentally sound manner. Funding is provided by USDOT, 

with matching funds provided by NCDOT. 

NC Local Technical Assistance Program (NC LTAP) 

The North Carolina Local Technical Assistance Program (NC LTAP) is one of 

the 59 LTAP centers nationwide. There is an LTAP program in each state, 

including Puerto Rico, and with several Native American centers. LTAP was 

established by the Federal Highway Administration in 1982. The North 

Carolina center was one of the first organized in 1986. 

The mission of LTAP is to help local agencies tap into new technology, 

information, and training so they can operate more efficiently and safely. 

LTAP centers provide access to training and information that may not have 

otherwise been accessible. Centers are able to provide local road 

departments with work force development services, resources to enhance 

safety and security, solutions to environmental, congestion, capacity and 

other issues, technical publications, and training videos and materials. 

NC LTAP offers the following training and technical assistance: 

Roads Scholar and Advanced Roads Scholar programs 

Additional training courses covering maintenance, safety, 

traffic and management 

Email discussion list—NCROADS 

Quarterly newsletter—Transportation Tracks 

The Roads Scholar and Advanced Roads Scholar 

programs provide special training administered by North 

Carolina's Local Technical Assistance Program (NC LTAP) 

at ITRE that allow local government agencies access to 

high quality training for their employees at a reasonable 

cost. The Roads Scholar Program consists of 14 different 

one‐ or two‐day training sessions regularly offered each 

year. To become a Roads Scholar, seven of the 14 

training sessions must be completed. 

Geovisual Analytics and Decision Management Group 

(GADA) 

In summer 2012, the Visual Analytics, Modeling and Simulation (VAMS) and 

the Operations Research Education Laboratory (OREd Lab) were combined to 

form the Geovisual Analytics and Decision Management Group (GADA). Both 

programs apply their geospatial analytics skills to conduct research that 

yields conclusions to support operation management decisions and to 

influence public policies. 

Coverlab (www.coverlab.org). The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement 

Resource Lab (Coverlab) is ITRE’s flagship resource for the motor carrier 

enforcement assistance program. Coverlab represents an assembly of 

decision support tools such as scorecard and dashboard services, 

geospatial analytics, data visualizations and applied research that aid in 

the operation enforcement planning decisions conducted by the Motor 

Carrier Enforcement section of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol 

and NCDOT 

OREd Program (www.itre.ncsu.edu/OREd). The Operations Research 

and Education Laboratory (OREd) conducts population forecasts, land 

use studies, location optimization, and GIS analysis. By integrating 

schools and community planning data and goals, OREd assists school 

systems in developing data-driven and policy-based facility and 

assignment plans. 


Highway Systems Group 

The Highway Systems Group was formed in the early 1980s to assist the 

North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) with pressing surface 

infrastructure challenges. Many research and development projects 

conducted for maintenance, construction, and central office staff have 

helped provide implementable solutions to pressing needs. Group staff are 

also engaged in many national research projects under FHWA, ITE, NCHRP, 

NCFRP, and SHRP2 research programs, and the group is involved in teaching 

and professional development for the National Highway Institute (NHI). 

Today, public and private sectors nationwide look to the group to conduct 

research and provide solutions for surface and air issues including the 

following. 

Traffic Operations 

Microscopic and Mesoscopic Traffic Simulation 

Accessibility to Complex Intersections to Pedestrians with Vision 

Disabilities 

Automated Data Collection and Inventory of Transportation Assets 

Operational Assessment of Modern Roundabouts and Unconventional 

Intersections and Interchanges 

Freeway Performance Assessment, Modeling, and Monitoring 

Video-Based Detection and Assessment of Traffic Patterns 

Work Zone Operations and Safety Evaluation 

Economic Impact Assessment and Benefit-Cost Analysis 

Transportation Policy and Funding 

Professional Engineering Review and Career Development Training 

Staff also provide job-specific training and education for transportation 

professionals at every level along with supplementary reference materials. 

Public and private sector groups also take advantage of our technical 

assistance opportunities. 

Equipment used to evaluate driver’s reactions to a large 

radius horizontal curve on two‐lane roads. This effort 

focused on driver’s behavior when passing a large truck 

which involved the measurement of distance of the 

passing vehicle behind the truck, video of the passing 

maneuvers, and the speed of the passing vehicle based on 

the change in distance from the truck. 

NextGen Air Transportation (NGAT) Center 

The NGAT Center was formed in 2008 to support North Carolina efforts in 

modernizing aviation technologies and transportation initiatives in the 

state. In the summer of 2012, the NGAT Center was re-launched under a 

statewide initiative to unite the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) 

community in North Carolina. This new focus is intended to spur economic 

growth in the UAS industry, coordinate the academic research and training 

resources across the state, and develop a holistic infrastructure that includes 

establishment of a UAS test site on the NC coast. By preparing for UAS 

emergence in civilian and commercial applications, the NGAT Center is 

embracing the core technologies and native resources that position North 

Carolina to be a national leader in modern aviation transportation and 

research. In 2013 the NGAT Center will be launching a new Membership 

Program designed to provide a variety of services and products that will 

provide new opportunities for research, careers, and collaboration across 

industry, academia, and agencies interested in UAS and NextGen-related 

activities. The NGAT Center's guiding mission is to discover, evaluate, 

implement, and disseminate advanced air transportation technologies at the 

regional, national, and international level to improve the capacity, safety, 

and environment surrounding air transportation. 

Public Transportation Group 

The Public Transportation Group is responsible for research, training, and 

technical assistance in the area of public transportation. Activities focus on 

the following transportation modes both singularly and in multimodal 

settings: urban fixed-route transit, Paratransit, rural demand-responsive 

transit. 

ITRE’s Public Transportation and Highway System groups 

recently completed a project for the NC and Virginia 

Departments of Transportation that involved the collection 

of origin and destination travel data that will be used to 

generate updated ridership estimates for the Southeast 

High Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR). 


The NCDOT Public Transportation Division is a primary client by providing 

opportunities to link applied research with ongoing technical and technology 

assistance. A passion for this group is pursuing practical applications that can 

have immediate benefits by increasing efficiencies in transit operations and 

positively impacting service and transportation choices for the traveler. 

The Division of Aviation commissioned the Institute 

for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) at 

North Carolina State University to compile the 2012 

Economic Contribution of Airports in North Carolina 

Report on how aviation impacts the state’s 

economy. According to the report, the state’s 63 

general aviation and nine commercial service 

airports provide a vital link to regional, national and 

international markets. Also shown in the report is 

that North Carolina airports support more than $4 

billion in personal income for aviation‐related jobs; 

state and local governments received more than 

$770 million in sales, property, corporate and 

personal taxes due to airport activity; and local 

property taxes related to airport activities is about 

$277 million. For a copy of the 2012 report and/or 

brochure, visit www.ncdot.gov/aviation. 

Bicycle and Pedestrian Program. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Program has 

the distinction of a long-standing working partnership with NCDOT's Division 

of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation including its Safe Routes to School 

Program. Through this partnership ITRE works on research and technical 

assistance projects and offers professional development opportunities to 

improve bicycle and pedestrian transportation in the state. In addition, 

program staff work in collaboration with the Highway Systems Group on 

national research projects that contain bicycle and pedestrian elements and 

will begin teaching planning and design courses around the country through 

the National Highway Institute. 

Pupil Transportation Group 

ITRE is the only research center in the nation with a program group dedicated 

to addressing school travel safety and operation topics. Through the 

applications of transportation engineering principles, operations research, 

and technology to the operation and management of multi-modal school 

transportation, the Pupil Transportation Group conducts two major services: 

 

 

Transportation Information Management Systems (TIMS). The TIMS 

program area provides support and consultation of a GIS-based school 

bus routing and scheduling software system used by all public school 

systems in NC. Through the use of the software and support from the 

Pupil Transportation Group staff, school systems in NC were able to 

design and implement cost-cutting transportation plans during the recent 

difficult economic years. 

Pupil Transportation Technical Assistance. The Pupil Transportation 

Group offers consultation services to school districts improving safety 

and efficiency transportation students to and from schools. The Group 

also provides Web site hosting and maintenance for three (3) nationallyrecognized 

organizations: 

 

 

 

National Association for State Directors of Pupil Transportation 

Services (www.nasdpts.org); 

Transportation Research Board School Transportation 

Subcommittee (www.itre.ncsu.edu/anb10_6) 

NC School Bus Safety (www.ncbussafety.org) 

Travel Behavior Modeling Group 

ITRE expanded its commitment to conducting research in travel behavior by 

creating the Travel Behavior Modeling Group in July, 2012. The new group 

will pursue research opportunities in travel behavior and modeling research 

in a variety of topics and will include the Triangle Regional Model Service 

Bureau. Research work so far includes: an investigation of land use models 

for small areas in North Carolina, the effect of alternative development 

strategies on emissions in small and medium sized communities, and surveys 

of university student travel behavior in North Carolina. 

The new version of the Triangle Regional Model, called 

TRM V.5, is used to develop updates to the 

transportation plans for the triangle region with a 

2040 forecast year. The new model adds many 

improvements including a bicycle and pedestrian 

model, an airport passenger model, and an improved 

parking cost and parking capacity constraint model. 


The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Resource Lab 

(COVERLAB) has released COVERLAB Analytics, a web-based 

decision support and visualization tool for the Motor Carrier 

Enforcement (MCE) section of the North Carolina State 

Highway Patrol. COVERLAB Analytics represents a significant 

milestone as part of the COVERLAB’s suite of products and 

services that provide program evaluation, analysis and 

research in support of MCE’s operational enforcement 

planning program. 

COVERLAB’s mission is to improve individual states’ 

commercial vehicle enforcement programs by anticipating 

emerging commercial vehicle enforcement issues and to serve 

as a center of excellence for optimized commercial vehicle 

enforcement planning through innovative decision support 

technologies. 

MCE’s goals are to improve the enforcement effectiveness to 

significantly reduce commercial vehicle crashes and damage to 

federally funded road infrastructure from overweight 

vehicles. COVERLAB Analytics will provide NCSHP MCE with 

online scorecards to track performance for meeting 

operational goals, dashboards for in-depth trend and 

comparison analysis, dynamic reports to streamline and 

simplify Federal reporting requirements, and geospatial 

analytics to prioritize times and locations for prioritized 

enforcement. 

The Operations Research and Education Laboratory 

(OREd) recently completed a year-long project with 

Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools to design a 

comprehensive reassignment plan for the 2013-14 

school year. The plan originated with the opening of a 

new high school but focused on a better balance of 

school building utilization for both middle and high 

schools in the entire district. 

By using operations research techniques, OREd was 

able to guide the appointed reassignment committee 

through multiple assignment scenarios that considered 

several constraints including building capacity, 

proximity, demographic balance, and travel distance. 

Committee members were challenged by the 

connections and conflicts between these constraints 

and the impact they had on the assignment map. The 

scenario maps (example shown below) and related data 

eventually led the Committee to school boundaries 

that represented a manageable and practical solution 

to many of the issues facing the district. 

The geospatial analytic application allows users to easily filter 

and map commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes, inspections, 

and citations by location, time, contributing circumstance and 

many others. Users can visualize patterns and trends with 

interactive graphs and tables that are linked to the filtered 

map results. 


ITRE Staff Participation in Community Service 

We helped at the Food Bank in March and again in December . . . . . 

And we framed a house with Habitat for Humanity . . . . . 


Websites Hosted by ITRE 


www.itre.ncsu.edu/cte/ 

www.itre.ncsu.edu/ngat/ 

www.icoet.net 

www.nccompletestreets.org 

www.cssnationaldialog.org 

www.converge.ncsu.edu 

www.itre.ncsu.edu/ored/ 

www.ncbussafety.org 

www.nasdpts.org 

www.coverlab.org 


Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) 

at NC State University 

Nagui M. Rouphail, Ph.D., Director 


Campus Box 8601, Raleigh, NC 27695 

919.515.8899 - (fax) 919.515.8898 


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